Greenpoint Fish & Lobster (114 Nassau Ave.) turned ten last month. The popular seafood spot celebrated the July 30 anniversary with specially-priced oysters, fish tacos, and lobster rolls.
Behind the beloved shellfish and fish dishes is Orion Russell, the executive chef and partner at Greenpoint Fish & Lobster, who was once an aspiring musician that hung with Courtney Love. Luckily for locals, his music career took a turn and his focus shifted to fish.
Greenpointers spoke with Chef Russell about his happiest memories, his path to Greenpoint Fish & Lobster, his favorite thing to eat there, and where you can find him when he’s not shelling out seafood.
Greenpointers: Greenpoint Fish & Lobster turned ten recently. Have you been around for the whole decade?
Chef Orion Russell: Yes! About a year after the opening, I moved back to Massachusetts, however, I made a triumphant return early in 2017.
Greenpointers: Have you always wanted to be a chef?
Chef Russell: I think I have always been a chef, but never wanted to be one or knew what it meant.
Greenpointers: Tell us about your path to Greenpoint Fish & Lobster.
Chef Russell: Long before Greenpoint Fish, I was once an aspiring musician. Vincent Milburn and I one night hung out with Courtney Love and Evan Dando. The next day, the both of us had no money for food, so I found myself preparing a tuna macaroni pasta in the most gourmet fashion. A year later, Vinny asked me to open the restaurant with him.
Greenpointers: What drew you to Fish & Lobster? Are you a big seafood fan?
Chef Russell: My earliest and happiest memories are eating fried whole belly clams on Cape Cod. Figured I chase that feeling.
Greenpointers: What is your favorite menu item (to make or eat)?
Chef Russell: My favorite item to make and eat is fish and chips. There is nothing as good as a perfectly fried piece of cod!
Greenpointers: Does the menu ever change at Fish & Lobster? If so, how often?
Chef Russell: The menu changes a little before every summer. I try to change it more often but find people disappointed when I removes certain dishes.
Greenpointers: Have you done collaborations with other local Greenpoint restaurants? What have been some of your favorite spots to work with?
Chef Russell: The best collab we did was definitely the one with Taqueria Ramirez (94 Franklin St). There was a line around the block that people waited three hours in for a table.
Greenpointers: Have you faced any challenges at Greenpoint Fish & Lobster or at other locations ?
Chef Russell: Yes, many challenges over the years. Running restaurants can take a toll on your relationships and mental health at times. Burn out is incredibly real, but at the end of the day, I still can’t imagine doing anything else.
Greenpointers: When you’re not working, are there any local restaurants or bars where you like to hang out?
Chef Russell: Find me with a natty wine at Lise & Vito (126A Nassau Ave.) or a martini and vinegar chicken at Bernie’s (332 Driggs Ave.).
Wonderful profile of this man. I heard and read great reviews re this place. The issue is price with these seafood restaurants. The lobster Joint was a great example. Loved their lobster rolls and linguini in white clam source and even their hamburger but the prices kept going up especially the lobster. Combined with other issues, they closed and now the one millionth wine bar in Greenpoint has opened.
Hope this place doesn’t meet the same fate. We need a good dedicated sea food restaurant in Greenpoint.